The Innocent Death Eater
by Starr2
Summary: When the Potters take in a twelve year old Death Eater while she awaits her trial, what will happen? And how do an ancient prophecy and wandless magic fit into the picture. AU. 6 new chapters posted!
1. The Jury's Decision

The Innocent Death Eater  
  
By: Starr  
  
Author's Note: This is a continuation of Tootie's story "The Innocent Death Eater", done with permission, of course. This story is, at first, similar to my story "Moody's Favor", but they are going to take two very different paths. I hope you will read the part of the story she has written first, but if you choose not too there is a summary below.  
  
If you haven't read "The Innocent Death Eater", here is a run down on the first three chapters: Danny (Danielle) is a twelve year old death eater who is caught at a meeting one night. She is basically just a lookout for the other members who maim, kill, etc. James, who caught her, protests sending her to Azkaban so she is sent to live with himself and Lily until her trial. James later breaks the news to her that her father, who is a pilot, died when his plane crashed flying over the ocean (her mother is already dead at the start of the story). Then her trial begins. Danny testifies that she didn't like being one of Voldemort's Death Eaters and had not killed or betrayed anyone. James testifies that she has done nothing to make him suspicious while living with him, Lily, and Harry (who is a toddler). This story is obviously AU and I am beginning where the summary leaves off – Danny's sentencing. James, Remus, and Sirius are Aurors, Lily and James are married, and Peter never existed. Voldemort doesn't succeed in killing the Potters either.  
  
Thank you for reading this long summary! Now on with the story!  
  
Danny squirmed in her seat between Remus and Sirius, the two Aurors assigned to guard her during the proceedings, as she was deemed to young to be bound to a chair like most accused Death Eaters were.  
  
"Those in favor of clearing the witness of all charges?"  
  
Danny held her breath as the jury murmured among themselves. There were twelve witches and wizards on the jury. She watched in amazement as eleven of them raised their hands. This caused cries of both cheers and outrage from onlookers. The only jury member who had been opposed to clearing her was a fat, toadlike woman in the second row, who wore a disgusted expression on her face, which was covered with excessive amounts of makeup.  
  
Cornelius Fudge, clearly taken aback, had to produce several loud bangs from his wand before order was restored to courtroom.  
  
"Very well, if that is the jury's decision. Now the only question is what to do with this child? She's an orphan now, and no self-respecting wizard is going to take in a former Death Eater. She will have to be sent to an orphanage since she-"  
  
Fudge was abruptly cut off by the sound of someone clearing their throat. James, who was still sitting near the witness stand stood up.  
  
"Lily and I would like to take her in. Possibly adopt her."  
  
"You can't be serious. Lily?" he cried, turning to Lily, who was seated among the spectators, hoping for support.  
  
"Yes, we would love to take her in. James and I discussed it last night and decided we would like to apply for guardianship of Danielle."  
  
Fudge was turning a very strange shade of red, outraged that anyone, specifically an Auror, would be willing to take in a Death Eater.  
  
"Very well. I will grant you temporary guardianship of one Danielle Marie Davis, with her adoption to be discussed at a later date. You are free to take her home now. Case closed."  
  
With that, the courtroom turned into a practical three-ring circus. Some of the witches and wizards present clapped and cheered, while others yelled in protest. People began to file out, some elated and others grumbling about how the Ministry was going to the dogs. James slowly made his way across the room to Danny, while Lily also pushed her way towards them.  
  
James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, all apparated back to Godric's Hollow, Danielle in tow. They were greeted with Arabella Figg, Harry's babysitter, who was eager to know how the trial had gone and why Danny was back with them. As the adults conversed Danny slipped off unnoticed and headed up to her bedroom. James had deactivated the wards on her room that morning before they left, knowing she would probably either not be back at all, or coming home free.  
  
She closed the door behind her and threw herself down on her bed. In the time she had been at the Potters the room had become a home to her. She ate there, slept there, did schoolwork there. Danny buried her face in her CareBears pillow, finding comfort in the familiar smell of her Herbal Essences shampoo. It wasn't like she didn't want to live with James and Lily, just this made everything so final. Her dad was gone and never coming back. She lived here now.  
  
A single tear escaped down her cheek. Danny rolled onto her back, staring at the white-painted ceiling. Slowly, cautiously, she heard the door open, then close. She felt someone sit down at the foot of the bed. Glancing up, she saw this person was James.  
  
For a few moments they stared at each other, Danny's eyes brimming with tears, James' full of sympathy and confusion.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked gently, after several moments had passed. "Aren't you happy to be free? Do you not want to stay with us?"  
  
She slowly shook her head, concentrating on the pattern of the soft peach blanket they were sitting on.  
  
"It's not that I don't want to stay here, just it makes everything so final. Now I really know my dad's never coming back. I keep waiting for him to come get me. To tell me it was all a big mistake and his plane never crashed. I told him I didn't want him to go. It just felt like something was wrong. But he said it would be okay. He said he's be back in a few months and he'd take me home from Hogwarts for a week or two and we'd hang out together, just the two of us."  
  
At this, she burst into tears, sobbing hysterically. James had no idea what to do. After all, he's only been her guardian for ten minutes, and he didn't know her all that well. He decided to go with his instincts.  
  
He gathered the small child into his arms and gently rocked her, whispering to her as he rubbed her back.  
  
"It's okay. Just let it all out. It'll be alright," he reassured her.  
  
Danny continued to sob, getting herself so worked up she began to choke. She cried for a few moments, before finally just sniffling as James held her close to him. It was several minutes before Danny spoke, and even then it was in a quavering voice.  
  
"Why did you want to take me in? I'm a Death Eater. You're an Auror. You're supposed to hate me, remember?"  
  
James was surprised by the question. He should have expected it, of course, but he was surprised at how Danny asked it. She wasn't being sarcastic, she honestly wanted to know why he chose to take her in. He asked himself the same thing. What was it that made him want to protect this kid? What made her different from the others?  
  
"I don't hate you Danny. I took you in because I saw something in you the first moment I saw you. I could tell by the look in your eyes that you didn't belong there. You weren't supposed to be at a Death Eater meeting, you were supposed to be at home watching cartoons and playing around. You were just there to protect your family, weren't you?"  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
"Well, it was sort of obvious. I mean why else would a muggle-born kid become a Death Eater if not to protect their family from Voldemort?"  
  
"Well, when you put it that way, it is kind of obvious."  
  
"Danielle, listen to me. Lily and I both love you. I think you'll like it here. We can redo your bedroom and decorate it how you want to and we can see about getting you back into Hogwarts.'  
  
"Okay. But can we get something to each first? I'm starving!"  
  
Author's Note: Please review! And if you haven't read the first part of the story you might want to do that, just to see exactly what happened when Danny was captured and the time leading to her trial. It's not long, just three short chapters, and goes by the same title this is posted under and the author's name is Tootie. Thanks to Tootie for letting me take this over. Everyone else – review, please!  
  
P.S. The next chapter is dedicated to whoever can tell me who the mean jury member was who was against clearing Danny. 


	2. Spring Cleaning

The Innocent Death Eater  
  
By: Starr  
  
One Week Later  
  
Lily Potter yawned as she collapsed onto the couch. Danny seemed to be fitting in well, even though it was taking awhile for her to get used to the house. Lily thought how weird it was that she had been living there for months, but had never seen the first floor except when she arrived and left for the trial.  
  
Danny and Harry had instantly clicked, despite an eight year age difference between them. Danny was currently pulling Harry around the first floor in a wagon as Harry yelled for her to go faster, pretending she was a horse. Lily smiled at them as they made a round through the living room, and then headed back down the hallway.  
  
"Breakfast's ready!" James called from the kitchen.  
  
Danny and Harry came running and Lily slowly followed them into the kitchen. She was planning on spending all day at home cleaning, since it was a Saturday and their house looked like a tornado had blown through. The kids toys were all over the living room, hall, and stairs and she didn't even want to think about what their rooms might look like.  
  
Soon they were all settled around the kitchen table munching on waffles. The kids were drinking milk while Lily and James sipped coffee. Just as Harry spilled his milk all over Danny an owl swooped into the kitchen.  
  
"Harry!" yelled Danny, standing up and spilling milk all over the floor in the process.  
  
Lily ripped open the letter as James began to mop up the milk. Her face turned white when she read it.  
  
"James! This is from the Ministry. They're sending someone out around three to inspect the house and evaluate how we're caring for Danny!"  
  
"But it's already nine thirty and the house is a wreck!"  
  
Both of them sprung up immediately. Lily's eyes swept over Danny and Harry. Danny was still covered in milk and had syrup in her hair. Harry was covered in syrup and marker, which no doubt was also all over his art table upstairs. She took a deep breath.  
  
"Alright, everyone stay calm. James, call Remus and Sirius and ask if they will come over and help. Danny, go to the bathroom upstairs, put those clothes in the laundry basket and get in the shower. Make sure you get really clean. I'm going to give Harry a bath in our bathroom."  
  
They all dashed off in different directions. Twenty minutes later Lily heard the water shut off upstairs.  
  
"Danny, put on some jeans and a T-shirt," Lily yelled down the hall. She didn't think Danny would ruin her good clothes just picking up her room, but she wasn't taking any chances.  
  
Lily lifted Harry out of the tub, wrapped him in a towel, and carried him into his bedroom to get dressed. She also dressed him in old clothes, due to the fact that she usually had to change his clothes again before the day was over anyway.  
  
By this time Danny had emerged from her bedroom. Lily settled Harry in the living room and put on a video.  
  
"Danny, come on, we're going to clean your room," she called.  
  
"I'll work on the living room. The guys should be over soon," James told her.  
  
She nodded and ran up the stairs. When she entered Danny's room, she nearly fainted. The bed was unmade, mainly because the covers had been taken off and used to build a tent. Toys lay scattered across the floor, along with books, drawings, crayons, markers, videos, costumes, and tons of dirty clothes. Danny herself came in behind her carrying Febreeze, Resolve, Windex, and other assorted cleaning products.  
  
"James said we might need these," she informed Lily.  
  
"I think he's right," she said faintly.  
  
They got to work. Lily had Danny take down the tent and make her bed while she began the daunting task of picking up toys and folding up dress clothes. Fifteen minutes later the last costume had been placed in the bin.  
  
"Danny, take all off these dirty clothes down to the laundry room while I go check on the boys. On your way up go get the vacuum."  
  
Lily made her way back to the living room, where she found James with the Dustbuster attacking the couch, which was stripped of all the cushions. He was vacuuming up cookie crumbs, lint, broken crayons, and numerous other things.  
  
"I found the remote!"  
  
"That's good, I guess. Where's Harry?"  
  
"Asleep in our room."  
  
"Make sure he doesn't get into anything. The last thing we need right now is a repeat of the pudding fiasco," Lily warned him.  
  
"Lily!" Danny yelled.  
  
"Coming!"  
  
She ran back upstairs to find Danny had managed to drag the vacuum to her room. Lily set her to work cleaning the windows and polishing the crayon off her desk while she vacuumed. When that was done they both attacked the stains on the carpet. After that, Lily decided the room was officially clean and sent her foster child down to help James.  
  
Meanwhile, Remus and Sirius had arrived.  
  
"Wow! You sure did a number on this house!" Sirius gasped.  
  
Remus had to agree. James just send them the evil eye. Remus and Sirius were saved by Lily, who came sprinting down the stairs.  
  
"Oh good, you're here. Thank you so much for coming. Remus, could you tackle the kitchen? The counters and floors need to be wiped down and the dishes need to be done. Sirius, I need you to pick up Harry's room. I already brought the cleaning supplies in there. James, since you seem to be done down here you can work on the laundry. Danny, go with him and make sure he doesn't dye or shrink anything!"  
  
Everyone scampered off toward their respective rooms. Lily, somewhat out of breath, felt a tug on the leg of her black jeans.  
  
"What about me, Mommy?"  
  
"You can help Mommy clean the dining room Harry."  
  
She took him into the room with her and settled him with a rag to "polish" the silver while she picked up.  
  
Meanwhile, down in the laundry room James and Danny had brought down all the laundry and sorted it into whites and colors. Well, Danny had sorted it while James watched without a clue. Then they set about pretreating the stains, which James would never have thought of had Danny not mentioned it. Danny was beginning to think her new guardian was hopeless at doing laundry.  
  
Remus was actually doing a rather good job in the kitchen and was nearly through with the dishes. Sirius had had a few mishaps cleaning Harry's room, but to give him credit he was getting the job done. As for Lily, she was beginning to have hope that they may actually be able to pull this off.  
  
Three Hours Later It was approaching one o'clock. Surprisingly, the house was nearly clean, James had only ruined one old T-shirt in his adventures with the laundry. Sirius had broken a window attempting to clean it, which Remus had thankfully been able to fix. Lily had cleaned the bathrooms with Harry's "help" and Danny and James had vacuumed the halls.  
  
Now it was time to get ready. James took Harry to get dressed, while Lily took Danny.  
  
"Can't I just wear this?" the twelve-year-old whined.  
  
Lily glanced at her T-shirt which had Windex sprayed on it, and her jeans which had somehow gotten coated in carpet deodorizer.  
  
"No! Those are filthy!" she cried, exasperated.  
  
She wrestled Danny into a blue jean dress with yellow flowers sewed on the pockets and a yellow T-shirt. Then she set about braiding Danny's hair into pigtails and tying the ends with yellow ribbons. Once she had put Danny's sandals on she turned her loose to watch TV in the living room.  
  
James dressed Harry in blue jean overalls with a red T-shirt underneath and put red socks on him. He wrestled his son into his tiny sneakers, then tried to comb down Harry's wild raven hair. Realizing Harry looked as good as a toddler was going to get, he sent him down to watch TV with Danny.  
  
An Hour Later, The Potter Family's Living Room  
Lily looked around the room in amazement. She and James were both showered and dressed, the kids were presentable, and Remus and Sirius had just left, wishing them the best of luck.  
  
The house was nearly pristine, bar the crayon marks on one small portion of Harry's wall, which had refused to come off. Lily considered this a near miracle. She didn't think the house had been this clean since before Harry was born.  
  
DING DONG  
  
"That'll be them," James said nervously.  
  
"Yep," Lily agreed.  
  
Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I know it was a little more Lily-centric, but I thought it would be funny to see how exasperated she got trying to clean the house with the Mauraders. Please review, no one has reviewed the last chapter as of yet, so the offer still stands – tell me who the mean jury member is and this chapter or the next is dedicated to you!  
  
P.S. If anyone reads stories at FictionPress.com, please check out this story my little brother wrote. It's called "The Surprise" and posted under my pen name there – Starr21. He's only eleven, and it's really short. It would mean a lot to him if you could skim it over and drop him a review – he thinks it's horrible, but I think it's pretty good for a sixth grader. But don't flame him or I will get you(! 


	3. The Inspection

The Innocent Death Eater  
  
By: Starr  
  
James opened the front door to find a rather tall woman with dark brown hair and crystal blue eyes standing there. Her expression was unreadable, but she didn't look mean. She was young for a ministry official, about twenty-five, with her hair pulled up into a long pontytail at the crown of her head.  
  
"Come in, please, miss?"  
  
"Spencer. Caitlin Spencer. You must be James and Lily."  
  
They nodded and shook hands with her. Once the door had been shut and everyone seated Caitlin gave everyone an appraising look.  
  
"This must be Danielle and Harold."  
  
Lily gave Danny a look as she made a face. Neither of the kids liked being addressed by their actual first names and usually protested loudly when they were.  
  
"Yes," James answered.  
  
"Well, lets get started then. According to these papers Danielle has been receiving work from Hogwarts via owl. Professor Dumbledore says her grades have improved under your care, so I guess that is a good sign. If you don't mind, I would like to take a look around, then have a discussion with Danielle."  
  
"Danny," Danny interrupted.  
  
Suprisingly, Caitlin smiled.  
  
"I'm sorry, Danny."  
  
Lily sighed in relief and James gave Danny a behave-or-else look. They slowly showed Miss Spencer around the house. She made notes on her clipboard as they proceeded throughout the house. Their last stop was Danny's bedroom.  
  
They had redone it the night after the trial. Now the walls were a soft purple color, with the carpet slightly darker. The sheets matched the walls, as did the fuzzy blanket. The comforter on the bed was decorated with the CareBears, as was the pillow. Posters of various Disney characters adorned the wall, and one corner was covered in various drawings and paintings Danny had made. Underneath the artwork was a small wooden desk which had paper, crayons, markers, and various other art supplies on an organizer on top of it. Her toys were all neatly put away in an oak toy box against one wall, which was next to a plastic container brimming with dress up costumes, jewelry, and some of Lily and James' old clothes. All in all, it looked like a little girl's dream room.  
  
Caitlin scribbled furiously on her clipboard, asking questions about how Danny was adjusting to life at their house and whether she got along with Harry or not. Finally, she asked to be alone with Danny for a few moments. James and Lily nervously retreated to the living room with Harry.  
  
After several agonizing moments, Caitlin reappeared with Danny. Danny was smiling, while Caitlin's expression was once again unreadable.  
  
"Danny tells me she likes it here, and would like to stay here with you. You seem to have a suitable home for her, so I am going to recommend that she stay here indefinitely and I will also recommend you to adopt her if you would like."  
  
"Yes, yes, of course," exclaimed Lily, pulling Danny into a bone crushing hug.  
  
"Thank you so much," James added as he escorted Miss Spencer to the door.  
  
"Of course. Just one thing. You will need to fill out these forms for adoption and have her health evaluated at St. Mungo's. Standard adoption procedure. You will also need witnesses to verify the forms are correct and there are places for their signatures at the bottom. Good luck!" she smiled, as she stepped outside.  
  
James thanked her again and closed the door behind her before joining his wife and children in a group hug.  
  
"Guys I can't breathe!" Danny exclaimed.  
  
Laughing everyone broke apart. There was another knock at the door, no doubt Remus and Sirius wanting to know how it had gone. Her suspicions were proved correct as the Mauraders walked in. Everyone was happy and in generally good news – Danny could stay!  
  
Author's Note: I know this is a short chapter, but I just wanted the inspection to be in a chapter by itself. The next chapter will be longer! Please review! This chapter and the last are dedicated to LUCYLU4701 because she was the first one to review this and she wrote that the jury member was Umbridge. I really don't like Umbridge, so that's why I made her the mean jury member!  
  
BTW, I just got the coolest e-mail. Its all about God's love and how we should take more time to appreciate God. If you would like me to send it to you, leave your email address in a review and I will be glad to send it to you! 


	4. Strange Occurances

The Innocent Death Eater  
  
By: Starr  
  
Lily rolled over in bed, hearing crying.  
  
"Mommy! Mommy!" Harry was screaming.  
  
She glanced over at the alarm clock. Ten-thirty. Better get up  
  
"James. Jamesie. Wake up, it's ten-thirty."  
  
"Five more minutes."  
  
Laughing, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before heading into Harry's room. The three year old was standing up in his crib, shaking his sippie cup.  
  
"No more juice," he informed her.  
  
"Well, lets go get you some more," she told him, lifting him out of the wooden crib.  
  
As she entered the hall, James came out of the bedroom, yawning.  
  
"Honey, will you take Harry downstairs and get him some apple juice. I have to wake Danny up and get ready to go."  
  
Lily and James had been informed by the ministry that they must take an all-day parenting class before they applied for adoption. They both thought that was sort of stupid, since they had been parents for three years anyway, but then again that was the ministry.  
  
She entered Danny's room, where the little girl was lying in bed, sunlight streaming onto her face. She looked adorable, with one arm hugging a raggedy teddy bear and the other clutching a handful of blanket. The only thing out of place was the jet black tattoo marring the inside of her forearm.  
  
Although she seldom talked about it, Lily was worried about Danny. Dumbledore had told them that he had received news via one of his spies that Danny was not missed at the Death Eater meetings. He reassured them that Voldemort would not come after her because she was not considered a threat – she knew nothing. She had been one of Voldemort's lookouts – easy enough to replace, no worries if she got caught. But still, Lily couldn't help but worry sometimes about her. Why had Voldemort wanted her to join in the first place? She was a half-blood with only a year and a half of magic training. It made no sense to her. Yet there was no time to ponder this now. . .  
  
"Danny," she said, shaking the girl slightly. "Time to wake up."  
  
In response, Danny rolled over and buried her head underneath her pillow, snuggling deeper under the covers.  
  
"Danielle," Lily said.  
  
No response.  
  
"Alright then," Lily said. She stood up and stripped the blankets and sheets off of Danny.  
  
"Alright, alright. I'm up, I'm up," she muttered, flinging the pillow aside and sitting up.  
  
"C'mon. Get dressed. James and I have to leave soon. Remus is coming over to baby-sit you and Harry."  
  
Twenty Minutes Later: Potter Family Living Room  
  
"Now, make sure Harry stays out of the bathroom and everyone's bedroom's but his. Last night he got into the toothpaste and squirted it all over the bathtub. No sweets, either, it make's 'em hyper. I guess that's it, the emergency numbers are by the phone; we'll be back around seven or eight tonight. Bye, guys," Lily said, kissing Harry on the cheek, then the top of Danny's head.  
  
With that, she and James apparated away, leaving Remus with two tousled haired, pajama clad kids looking at him expectantly.  
  
"Well, I guess we'd better go eat. Lily left breakfast for us," he told them, herding them toward the kitchen.  
  
The kids ate cereal while Remus watched supervised, and then he sent them into the living room to watch television so he could clean up. He was washing the dishes when there was a loud scream, a shriek, and the sound of breaking glass from the living room. The lights flickered briefly, causing him to drop the plate he was holding.  
  
He ran as fast as he could into the other room, wand at the ready. He expected to see armed Death Eaters, or at the very least an intruder. Yet he found only Danny and Harry standing stock still in the middle of the room, the remote on the floor between them. Every window in the room, along with the glass on the entertainment center and coffee table, was shattered.  
  
"What happened?" gaped Remus, looking from the two children in front of him to the shards of glass littering the carpet.  
  
"He wouldn't give me the remote," Danny said in a small whisper.  
  
"What do you mean he wouldn't give you the remote!" yelled Remus, nearly hysterical. "How did the glass break? Did someone break in? What's going on?"  
  
"I don't know! All I know is I was really, really mad at Harry and all of a sudden there was a crash and broken glass was everywhere."  
  
Remus's mouth dropped open. She had done this? A twelve year old? It was highly unusual for someone to do wandless magic, though it was not unheard of in wizarding children who were not yet trained. However, it was very strange for a child Danny's age to have an accidental magic outburst. And it was definitely out of the ordinary to have an incident of this magnitude – everything from the glass figurines on the mantelpiece to the lights overhead were completely decimated. He had no idea what to make of it. He looked down at Danny and Harry, who were both staring back at him uncertainly.  
  
"Are we in trouble?" Danny asked.  
  
"Um, no. I think we'd better clean this up though," Remus replied.  
  
Hopefully Lily and James would be able to explain this. Harry was too young to be showing signs of magic, so it was undeniably Danny who had single handedly destroyed their living room. Yet, she was too old to be doing wandless magic. What was going on?  
  
That Night: Dumbledore's Office, Hogwarts  
"And Remus said all the glass was broken." Lily concluded.  
  
"Very interesting," Dumbledore said, taking a sip of tea and thinking over the story Lily had just relayed to him.  
  
"Interesting! Interesting!! My twelve-year-old destroyed our living room without a wand and all you have to say to me is 'interesting'!" Lily screeched. "She's too experienced to have an accidental outburst and she definitely wasn't angry enough to cause that much damage anyway!"  
  
"Lillian, do calm down. I'll do some research into this and get back to you. I'm sure its nothing major," Dumbledore said reasonably. "She's been through so much lately, maybe she's just a little overemotional."  
  
"I've been overemotional as well, and I've never caused a power outage."  
  
"The lights didn't go out, they just flickered for a moment," Remus interjected.  
  
"Still that is not ordinary!" Lily hissed.  
  
"Lily, honey, do calm down. Now Dumbledore will find out what's going on. It's been a long day, lets just go home and get some rest." James soothed.  
  
"Alright, but please get to the bottom of this," Lily begged, looking pleadingly at Dumbledore.  
  
"Most certainly."  
  
Author's Notes: I'm back after a very long hiatus! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are always welcomed!! 


	5. Prophecy Girl

It was nearly four in the morning before Dumbledore found anything that might shed an inkling of light on the strange happenings at the Potter household. He was reading a large, moldy volume on wandless magic when he stumbled on something about a prophecy. His eyebrows furrowed as he read on, taking in the passage before him. Surely not.  
  
The chapter was on witches and wizards who had managed the incredibly difficult feat of becoming proficient in wandless magic. It also mentioned several prophecies, one of which caught Dumbledore's eye. It read:  
  
Born as the seventh month rises Born to those of unpure blood.  
She will have the ancient gift of wandless magic.  
In the twelfth year her powers will show themselves,  
The dark one will seek her, but she will betray him.  
She will defeat him,  
And save the wizarding world from unknown darkness.  
  
He read the prophecy again, slowly taking everything in. The prophecy was certainly vague. The "dark one" could mean almost any dark wizard, not just Voldemort. Yet the prophecy undeniably fit. Danielle was born on July 2, to a half-blooded witch and a muggle. Voldemort had sought her out, yet she had in a way betrayed him. Did this prove she was the girl in the prophecy?  
  
His mind reeling, Dumbledore bookmarked the page, deciding to show it to James and Lily the next day and see what they made of it.  
  
Potter Family Living Room: Later That Morning  
The living room was strangely silent. Lily, James, and Dumbledore were all wordlessly contemplating what this latest discovery could mean.  
  
"It doesn't make sense," James said. "The prophecy leads you to believe Voldemort will seek the girl after her powers reveal themselves, not before. And Danielle was recruited as a Death Eater shortly after her twelfth birthday."  
  
"But how do we know this is a recent occurrence?" Albus questioned.  
  
"Well I certainly would have noticed if anything like this had happened before," Lily pointed out.  
  
"Yes, but Danielle has been in your care for a relatively short time. We can't be sure there haven't been other similar incidents without questioning her," he said quietly.  
  
"But if we start grilling her for information she'll know something is up. And I don't want to worry a child with the weight of this prophecy, especially if she turns out not to be the one."  
  
"That's just a risk we'll have to take," Dumbledore said. "We'll tell her we need the information from her school records or something. Hopefully she won't be too suspicious. But, if indeed she is the girl chosen to defeat Voldemort"- Lily flinched involuntarily –"then I suspect what we saw yesterday may have been only and inkling of the powers she is going to develop."  
  
As if in answer to this statement a loud crash sounded from upstairs. Immediately all three adults dashed for the stairs, James in the lead, Lily and Albus at his heels. Following the noise, they ran into Danny's room - and stopped short at the sight before them.  
  
Danny was sitting on the floor, looking amazed. Harry was laughing ecstatically as a puppy wriggled its way across the floor, chasing a tennis ball. Both kids were so intently watching the dog neither seemed to notice the added presence of three very confused, very startled adults. James cleared his throat loudly, gaining everyone's attention.  
  
"Can we keep him?" Danny asked immediately.  
  
"What do you mean can you keep him?" James asked in awe. "Where did he come from?"  
  
"Harry and I were talking about how cool it would be to have a puppy and I waved my hand, and then all of a sudden she just appeared."  
  
"Appeared? Let me get this straight. You waved your hand and a beagle just appeared out of nowhere?" James said faintly.  
  
"She's a basset hound, actually, but yes," Danny said matter-of- factly.  
  
"Oh, my. . ." Lily trailed off.  
  
"Danny, why don't you come down stairs with us. Bring the little fuzz ball with you," James said.  
  
"Her name is Tigger," Harry corrected him.  
  
"Tigger? But she's a dog, not a tiger," James said.  
  
Lily sighed in frustration. "I don't care if she's a Sumatran rhino. Pick her up and lets go downstairs and talk. Harry you stay here and play."  
  
They trooped back downstairs to the living room where everyone took a seat around the coffee table, Danny looking at the adults expectantly.  
  
"Does this mean I can't keep her?" she asked.  
  
Lily didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  
  
"You can keep her," James said. "We just wanted to ask you something. You know about this whole doing magic without a wand thing you've been doing on accident?"  
  
She nodded as he glanced at her.  
  
"Well, have you ever done it before yesterday? Even just once?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"When?" James asked, raising an eyebrow toward the other two adults.  
  
"On my birthday last year. My cousin blew out the candles on my cake before I had a chance, so I got really mad at him. Somehow I relit all the candles by just looking at the cake. Almost set the house on fire," she grinned.  
  
"That's all I wanted to know. Just curious, you know. So –um, so Professor Dumbledore could put it in your school records."  
  
"So I'm not in trouble?"  
  
"No, why don't you take Eeyore-"  
  
"Tigger," Danny and Lily corrected him.  
  
"Take Tigger upstairs and play with him."  
  
"Her," Dumbledore corrected him. James looked at him curiously. "Play with her. The dog is a girl."  
  
"Whatever!" James sighed, throwing his hands up in frustration.  
  
After he was absolutely certain Danny had made her way back up to her room, James looked up at Dumbledore.  
  
"So our daughter is going to be the one to defeat Voldemort?" he asked weakly.  
  
"Looks like it," Dumbledore said quietly.  
  
At which point Lily fainted.  
  
Author's Notes: Reviews are greatly appreciated. I will get to work on the next chapter ASAP! More about Danny's powers are to come and the story takes a few twists. Oh, and I took the chapter title from an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so it doesn't belong to me!! 


	6. Leaving Home

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lily asked, for the thirty-fifth time that morning.  
  
"Lily, we both agreed that it would be best for Danny to return to Hogwarts as soon as possible. She needs to be close to Dumbledore so he can teach her to control her powers. Not to mention the safety Hogwarts will provide for her."  
  
"But Hogwarts isn't entirely safe! Some of the Slytherins are children of Death Eaters! I'm sure they'd just love to drag her off to you- know-who!"  
  
"Lily, look. Danny is not a Slytherin, she is in Gryffindor. The only time she'll be near anyone from that house is under the supervision of a teacher. And Dumbledore promised to keep an extra close eye on her. And it's only a few weeks until the end of term. And you can write her everyday. Twice a day if you like."  
  
Lily nodded distractedly as James hurried upstairs to help Danny with her trunk. She still felt uneasy about the whole thing, but she supposed James was right. Danny needed to be taught about these new wandless abilities and Dumbledore was the only one with the skills to help her.  
  
The ride over to Kings Cross Station was very quiet, no one speaking much. Lily was off in her own world, worrying about everything from freak flying accidents to Death Eater attacks in the way only a mother can. James sensed her uneasiness and remained silent so as not to get into another argument about the dangers of sending Danny back to Hogwarts ("She could drown in the lake, fall off a broom, get abducted by Death Eaters, get bitten by a werewolf-"). She had been very angry earlier when he had reminded her he had spent several of his own years at Hogwarts running around with a werewolf, playing Quidditch, and swimming in the lake and he had lived to tell the tale.  
  
Meanwhile, Harry and Danny were quietly conversing in the back seat, oblivious to their parents' worries (or lack thereof, in James's case).  
  
"When'll you come back, Danny?" Harry asked in a quiet, subdued voice.  
  
"I'll be back in June at the end of the school year. But that's not that long. It's already the end of May," she consoled. "And I'll write you lots. Well, I'll draw you pictures, I guess, 'cause you can't read."  
  
"We're here!" James called, breaking everyone out of his or her respective reveries. "Let's hurry up and get inside. Dumbledore's probably waiting."  
  
Dumbledore had agreed to personally accompany Danny back to school. By the time the foursome had made their way into the station, through the magical doorway, and onto Platform 9 ¾, they found the scarlet steam engine waiting for them. As they approached the train, Dumbledore stepped off.  
  
"Are you ready to go back to school?" he asked Danny, smiling.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Well, I'll just put your trunk into our compartment while you all say your goodbyes."  
  
James, Lily, and Harry all hugged and kissed Danny in turn. Soon Dumbledore was back and they all prepared to go their separate ways.  
  
"Now, you be good. Behave yourself. And remember, if you need me I'm only an owl away. Love you," Lily murmured, giving the girl one last kiss on the head.  
  
"Bye, sweetheart," James said, as Danny followed Dumbledore onto the train.  
  
"Bye-Bye, Danny!" Harry added, as the train began to move.  
  
Danny waved at her newfound family from the window until they became tiny specks in the distance. The three waved back until the train faded into the horizon, at which point Lily broke into sobs.  
  
"My baby. It seems like just yesterday we brought her home," Lily sobbed.  
  
"Well, it was only a few months ago. And Remus, Sirius, and I brought her home," James reminded her.  
  
"James you are so insensitive sometimes!" Lily fumed as they made their way back through the gateway and toward their car.  
  
"Lily, she'll be fine!" James said in exasperation for the forty- fifth time that morning. Women.  
  
Author's Notes: Next chapter we will see Dumbledore and Danny working on her powers and you will find out just how Voldemort came to know about Danielle's powers. Review!!!! 


	7. Lessons with Dumbledore

Danny sighed exhaustedly. Her first day back at school had been tiring, frustrating, joyous, saddening, and everything in between. Some of her fellow classmates had shunned her after learning of her short stint as a Death Eater, others were forgiving, and still others seemed to be indifferent of her arrival back. Fortunately her two closest friends, although hesitant at first, had listened to reasons for joining up with Voldemort. And though things were still uneasy between the trio they had assured her they forgave her and told her she had done the right thing by attempting to protect her family from Voldemort.  
  
Then she had had to catch them up on everything else that had happened recently, including the assumed death of her father in the plane crash and Lily and James taking her in. Retelling the news of her father's death brought back a wave of grief and guilt that she had never even gotten to say her goodbyes. Between all of that, catching up with her teachers about missed bits of work, unpacking her stuff, and answering Lily's first letter (Danny suspected she must have written it the moment she returned from the train station) the day passed in whirlwind of emotions and meetings.  
  
Now she was on her way up to Professor Dumbledore's office. He had requested to talk to her about her new powers, about learning to control them or something.  
  
Rounding the corner, Danny passed two second-year Ravenclaw girls, both of whom immediately scrambled over to the other side of the corridor. She sighed irritably and glared at them. Both froze for a moment then broke into a run down the hallway.  
  
"I wish I had stayed with Lily and James. At least there no one stares at me like I'm some kind of notorious mass murderer of something. Lucius Malfoy's nephew is here, for crying out loud, and they choose to be scared of me," Danny growled.  
  
Reaching the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office she let out one last theatrical sigh before whispering the password ("Ice Mice") and stepping onto the revolving stone staircase. She knocked lightly on the door to the headmaster's office.  
  
"Come in, Danielle!" a cheerful voice responded.  
  
Danny timidly opened the door to find Dumbledore sitting silently at his desk, drinking a cup of tea. In front of him was a book that he closed hastily and put into his desk drawer.  
  
"Please, take a seat," he said, gesturing to the scarlet armchair beside him. "Lemon drop?"  
  
"Thank you," she said, taking one of the offered candies.  
  
"Well, as you know I have called you here to discuss your apparent gift for wandless magic," he said. "This is a very special talent. The act of performing magic without a wand is a very ancient, powerful form of magic that takes much practice and concentration to perfect. It is a talent you have at birth, much like the talent of Seeing the future. While you have shown an extraordinary aptitude for this particular branch of magic, it seems as though as of now you can only do spells without a wand during periods of time when you are very emotional or are experiencing particularly strong feelings, such as anger. Myself, James, and Lily have decided that you should begin training with me immediately to get your powers under control, if that is if that's all right with you."  
  
"That's fine with me," Danny said. "But why is it so important?"  
  
Dumbledore paused for a second, thinking of how to phrase his answer without giving away anything about the prophecy, which they had agreed she be kept secret from Danielle, for now at least.  
  
"As you have probably already figured out, Voldemort recruited you because of your skills in this area of magic. He wants you on his side, and we now have no doubt he will try and bring you back to him by any means possible. All the better if you are able to defend yourself in the event he should attack."  
  
"Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Certainly," he replied.  
  
"How did Voldemort find out about my powers in the first place? Even I didn't realize what was going on until the other day."  
  
"Well, my dear, I think the explanation for that is quite simple. He has several spies in the Ministry that we know of, and undoubtedly there are more. A report was made by the Ministry of the incident on your last birthday, correct?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Did you tell them it was an accident and that you were not holding a wand at the time?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Undoubtedly one of Voldemort's spies in the Misuse of Magic department heard of the incident somehow, and he may have realized what it meant. Tell me, have there been any other incidents that you can recall? Maybe something you just brushed off, something that didn't seem important at the time?"  
  
"Well, at school a couple of times chairs have overturned around me or I've seen glasses burst, but I always assumed it was Peeves."  
  
"More likely your magic beginning to show itself," Dumbledore mused.  
  
"So you think Voldemort will try and kidnap me or something?" Danny asked worriedly, her mind still on the fact that the darkest wizard in the world wanted to use her as a type of human weapon.  
  
"It is likely, but rest assured no harm can come to you while you are on the grounds of Hogwarts. You are safe here. But I think it is in your best interest to begin training now."  
  
"Like right now?" she asked uncertainly.  
  
"Like I always say, no time like the present," the headmaster smiled. "Now if you would, take a look at this candle."  
  
He pointed at a candle floating near the surface of his desk. It was a plain lit candle, just the same as all the others in the office.  
  
"You know the spell "Nox", correct?"  
  
"You use it to cancel out "Lumos"," Danny replied.  
  
"Yes, you do. You are going to attempt to extinguish this flame without your wand. I want you to close your eyes and visualize this candle. Clear your mind of everything else. Good. Now concentrate and when you are ready say the spell just as you would if you were using a wand."  
  
"Nox!"  
  
The spell had no effect on the flame, which still burned as brightly as ever.  
  
"Well, that was a good first attempt. Practice makes perfect," he said. "Just close your eyes and try again. Remember, think of the candle. Concentrate on it. Visualize it in your mind."  
  
"Nox!"  
  
This time the flame flickered for a moment, but still burned on.  
  
"Alright, it's getting late, but try just one more time. Use your emotions. Will the candle to blow out."  
  
Danny furrowed her brow in concentration, deep in thought.  
  
"Nox!"  
  
This time she opened her eyes to see the flame extinguished and little wisps of smoke in the air.  
  
"Splendid!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "Wonderful! Let's say we meet here the same time tomorrow night. Go back to your dorm and get some rest."  
  
So, tired, but happy, Danny made her way slowly back to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
Author's Notes: Sorry if there are any typos. This was proofread, but then the computer did something funky and may have erased a couple of corrections I made to this chapter. My apologies. Please review!!!! Pretty please? You know you want to. . . 


	8. Training and Threats

"Homework: Write a roll of parchment on how transfiguring objects differs from transfiguring animals and humans. Due next class," Professor McGonagall said.  
  
Danny shoved her books into her bag and followed her two best friends, Katie Brown and Megan Devine, out of Transfiguration.  
  
"Can you believe she gave us that much homework? We'll be up 'till midnight!" Katie whined.  
  
"You mean you'll be up 'till midnight. I'll probably be up until three in the morning," Danny groaned.  
  
"Another lesson with Dumbledore?" Megan asked sympathetically.  
  
Danny nodded. Although things were now back to normal between her and her friends (and most of the rest of the school as well), Dumbledore thought it best to keep her almost nightly lessons a secret. So she had told her friends he was tutoring her in Transfiguration, which made since because he was a former Transfiguration teacher himself.  
  
"C'mon guys, lets get to dinner. I'm starving!" Katie said.  
  
The three filed into the Great Hall, taking seats at near the middle of the Gryffindor table.  
  
"You know, I've been thinking," Megan said.  
  
"That's never a good sign with you," Danny teased.  
  
Megan threw a roll at her, she ducked, and it hit Marcellus Malfoy square in the head. All three giggled as he looked around wildly, searching for the culprit of the attack.  
  
"I've been thinking," Megan continued. "That the three of us should try out for the Quidditch team next year. Half the teams graduating! We'll have a pretty good chance!"  
  
'That is if I make it to next year. . ." Danny thought.  
  
"I dunno," said Katie. "I'm not that good."  
  
"We can practice over the summer," Danny suggested.  
  
For the rest of the meal all they did was make plans for practicing Quidditch. Katie and Megan had decided Danielle would make a perfect Seeker, and nothing she said could convince them otherwise. So it looked as though Danny was trying out for Seeker next year. The talk at least took her mind off the war. Things had gotten worse in the two weeks she had been back at school. Just the other day there had been a skirmish at the Leaky Cauldron and three people had been killed. Rumors were flying about the possibility of an attack on Hogsmeade, and all students had been stripped of visits there until further notice.  
  
As soon as dinner was over Danny reported to Dumbledore's office. He was waiting for her in the middle of the room, wand in hand.  
  
"As you've mastered all of the first and second year spells, I've decided its time to start learning some more advanced Defense spells, first with your wand, then without. Today we are going work on the Disarming Spell. A very simple Defense spell to strip your opponent of their wand."  
  
"The incantation is very simple. You just say "Expelliarmus" and point your wand at the person you wish to disarm. Now, I am going to just stand here, wand at the ready, and you are going to attempt to disarm me," he said.  
  
This was easier said than done. Danny at first hit a bookshelf, sending books flying to the floor. Then she managed to hit a mirror, causing the curse to bounce back and disarm her. On the third attempt she managed to hit Dumbledore, but the spell only caused him to jump back a few paces. She tried again and again, and when she had managed to disarm him five times in a row, Dumbledore decided it was time for her to attempt the spell without a wand.  
  
This was much, much more difficult. For awhile all the curse did was make Dumbledore wince feebly, but eventually she managed to make him jump back a few inches. By the end of the lesson she still hadn't managed the spell and the headmaster assured her they would practice it some more the following night.  
  
The next week passed rather quickly. Danny mastered the Disarming Spell and they went on to practice the Jellylegs Curse and Impediment Jinx. It gave Danny a great feeling of security to master these spells without a wand. Not to mention most of the new spells she was learning were well above second year level.  
  
One night, after a particularly rough session attempting to learn the Stunning Spell with a wand, she was limping back to Gryffindor Tower when she ran into Marcellus Malfoy. She made to move around him, but he stepped directly in front of him.  
  
"What're you doing walking the castle by yourself this late?" he sneered.  
  
"No of your business, now get out of my way," she snapped.  
  
"Oh, so the little traitor's getting an attitude with me," he smirked.  
  
Before Danielle could even move he had her by the front of the robes, pinned against the wall.  
  
"Look here you little brat, you're gonna get what's coming to you. Lord Voldemort doesn't put up with traitors. 'Specially not little half- blood traitors," he sneered. "So would watch who I'm snapping at if I were you."  
  
And with that he dropped her to the ground and walked off down the hall. Severely shaken up, Danielle grabbed her fallen book bag and retreated to the safety of the Gryffindor Common Room, wondering if maybe Hogwarts wasn't as safe as Dumbledore thought.  
  
Later That Night, Potter Household  
"What's that?" James asked, pointing at the piece of parchment his wife held in her hands.  
  
"Letter from Danny. She says a Slytherin boy attacked her in the hallway earlier, on her way back from her lesson with Professor Dumbledore. He said something about you-know-who doesn't put up with traitors. I just don't think I can take this anymore. What with Danny being stalked by a Dark Wizard, and you an Auror. Someone's going to get hurt soon."  
  
"Dumbledore was talking about us maybe going into hiding after Danny gets back from school. But he wants her trained first," James said.  
  
"Well, if we go into hiding I'll just feel like a sitting duck, waiting to be killed. It just seems like it would make you-know-who even more eager to find us if he knew we were so scared of him."  
  
"I just don't know what we should do," James sighed. "Any word from the adoption people?"  
  
"More forms. And when Danny gets back from school she has to have her health cleared at St. Mungo's still. Besides that we're in the clear," Lily replied distractedly.  
  
"Well, at least that's one bit of good news," James sighed.  
  
Author's Notes: All I have to say is review!!!!!!!! I am in desperate need of constructive criticism, comments, suggestions, etc.!!!! 


	9. A Close Encounter

The end of term was approaching quickly, and between studying for end of term exams and having extra lessons with Dumbledore, Danny was as busy as ever. She had improved greatly in the few weeks they'd worked together, and they were now practicing the Imperius Curse. Not practicing casting it of course, but practicing resisting it. Dumbledore would put the spell on Danny, who had to try to use her powers to force him to take it off. It was very hard work, not to mention painful.  
  
It was only two days before the start of finals, and Danny was spending all of her free time in the library, researching spells she's missed and catching up on wars they'd studied in History of Magic. Fortunately, her training was providing a great brush up on her Defense spells, so that was one less class to worry about. And considering what they were now studying was well above her grade level, she assumed that was the only class she was guaranteed an A in.  
  
After dinner she once again headed straight to the library and grabbed a pile of books on charms and spells. She sat down at an empty table and spread the books out, resolutely going through book after book, reading as much as she could about the spells she'd missed and making notes of what she needed to practice later in the common room.  
  
"Spell for boggarts, spell for boggarts. I know it's in here somewhere," she muttered.  
  
Meanwhile, On One of Hogwarts Many Staircases  
Professor McGonagall was making her way slowly up the stairs. Dumbledore had, of course, told her of the prophecy. He had told her she needed to know in case there was a need to cover up any more "accidents". She found the whole thing quite intriguing and had decided to read some more about the prophecy herself. Dumbledore had reassured her that this was quite all right, but had also warned to make sure she said nothing of it to Danny.  
  
Reaching the library, she headed to the shelf where Dumbledore had found the book with the prophecy. She checked the row over several times, but could find no trace of the volume. Great. Someone had checked it out. Not that that put Danny in any danger. No one at school besides an elite few knew of Danny's powers, so no one reading the prophecy would make any connection between it and Danielle. Well, no one except Danny herself, of course. But this meant she would probably have to wait to do her research. She sighed and approached Madam Pince.  
  
"Do you know if anyone has checked out "Alternative Forms of Magic Spelling"?" she asked.  
  
Madam Pince checked through a few records before shaking her head. "I have it recorded as being turned in. Someone probably has it at one of the tables, or it might have been put back on the wrong shelf."  
  
"Thank you. Please let me know if you find it," Minerva said.  
  
She turned to exit the library, her eyes scanning the tables as she walked, searching for the large, moldy text. She nearly shrieked in horror when her eyes lit upon it. A student did have it – Danny. It was sitting in a pile of books she was intently searching through. Uh-oh.  
  
Minerva quickly hurried over to the table where the girl was sitting. Danny looked up as she came to a halt in front of her.  
  
"Hello, Professor."  
  
"Hello, Danielle. Studying for you exams?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I was just wondering if you had seen a book I'm looking for. You see, Professor Snape and I have a bet of sorts about –um, well, about whether it's possible to have a wand core of werewolf blood. I think I remember reading something about that in "Alternative Forms of Magic Spelling". Have you seen it?"  
  
"I think I picked it up a few minutes ago. Yeah, here it is. I was going to look up a spell in it, but I can ask Katie about it later. You can take it," Danny said, handing Minerva the book.  
  
"Thank you so much," Minerva said in relief.  
  
Clutching the book tightly, she exited the library quickly. That was close. Too close. 


	10. Giggling, Gossiping, and Good News

It was the end of term. Danny had taken – and passed – all of her exams. Training with Dumbledore had also wrapped up. He had taught her defensive spells up to sixth year, and told her to practice as much as possible at home. Danny just hoped she wouldn't need the training. She, like so many others, hoped the war would be over soon.  
  
Not that that seemed very likely. The Daily Prophet now had an entire page dedicated to casualties to the light everyday. Many of her fellow Gryffindors had lost family members and friends to Voldemort or his Death Eaters. Just last week Jessica Evans had gotten word that her brother had been killed.  
  
Danny shivered involuntarily at the memory as they boarded the carriages that would take them to Hogsmeade Station. Dumbledore's words from nearly a month before came back to her. He had said she would be safe at Hogwarts. She knew life in Godric's Hollow was nowhere near as safe as life at Hogwarts, but Dumbledore had put a number of protective spells and charms around the house. Still, as much as she missed Lily, James, and Harry, she found herself very uneasy leaving the safety of school.  
  
They boarded the train, Danny, Katie, and Megan getting a compartment to themselves. Danny relaxed a bit once the train got on its way. The girls bought Chocolate Frogs and Every Flavor Beans from the trolley, and spent the ride home giggling, reminiscing, and gossiping.  
  
"Remember when Thomas Shafer fell off his broom at the Ravenclaw- Hufflepuff game last year?" laughed Katie.  
  
"How could we forget?" choked Danny. "He landed on Professor Flitwick!"  
  
"Poor Filius. I thought he was squished to death," Megan added seriously.  
  
Danny popped an Every Flavor Bean into her mouth and began laughing even harder.  
  
"Ew! Gross!" she yelped, taking a swig of pumpkin juice. "Dirt flavored!"  
  
"I like the dirt ones!" Megan said defensively.  
  
The other girls stared at her for a moment before everyone dissolved into giggles again. For the remainder of the ride no one could keep a straight face. Danny was in a considerably better mood when they arrived at the station and stepped off the train, all three promising to keep in touch over the summer holidays. Dragging her trunk behind her, Danny set off across the platform in search of Lily and James.  
  
"Hey, Danny! Over here!" she heard someone call.  
  
She turned and saw Lily, James, and Harry standing a few feet away from her. Lily was beaming James and Harry were smiling and waving.  
  
"Hey, kid. Have fun at school?" James asked.  
  
"I guess," she replied.  
  
"Hi, Danny!" Harry cried, reaching out his arms for her.  
  
"Hi, peanut! Miss me?"  
  
"Uh, huh! I liked the pictures you drew for me," he said.  
  
"Well I liked the ones you drew for me, too," she replied, although she had been unable to identify most of Harry's drawings. It was the thought that counted anyway, right?  
  
The ride back home was very noisy, due to the fact that everyone was trying to talk at once. Lily was just happy to have Danny home safe, Harry was glad his playmate was home again, and James was just generally glad Danny was home.  
  
That night was a happy one in Godric's Hollow. Everyone seemed to put their worries aside for a night. Lily and James played Exploding Snap at the kitchen table while Harry and Danny played hide-and-go seek.  
  
Just as they were about to start their fifth game an owl zoomed through the open kitchen window. Attached to its leg was a parchment envelope with an official looking seal. James ripped it open and took out the letter, which he began to read. His face broke into a huge grin.  
  
"It's from the Ministry. All we have to do to finalize the adoption is get her health cleared at St. Mungo's tomorrow, then go sign the official papers at the Ministry," he said.  
  
"That's terrific!" Lily exclaimed, kissing him.  
  
The next morning was very busy and exciting. They stopped at St. Mungo's where Danny was given a clean bill of health, then walked over to the Ministry. Entering the Atrium, Lily felt as though her knees were shaking. All she could think about was the next time she walked through that hall she would have officially gained a daughter. They all got through security, then made their way up to the child services office.  
  
It seemed like they waited forever to be called into the social worker's office, but in reality it was only about twenty minutes. They all filed into the small, cramped room, everyone watching the social worker intently. Harry didn't really understand what was going on, but he knew it was very important and that his sister's fate rested in that woman's hands.  
  
"Well, Mr. And Mrs. Potter," she said. "It looks as if everything is in order. All you have to do is sign here and here and she's yours."  
  
Lily picked up the quill in front of her, her hands shaking, and then signed her name to on the parchment. She handed it to James and he did the same.  
  
"That's all. The adoption of Danielle Marie Potter is officially complete!"  
  
Author's Notes: Yah! Danny's adopted! Review people!!!! 


	11. Bad News

Danny quickly adjusted to life in Godric's Hollow. It felt great to be officially part of a family again. Although no one could take the place of her biological father, she loved James with all her heart. After all, it was hard not to love someone who had saved you from Azkaban. Lily was like the mom she had never had, since her own had died when she was young. Although Lily had her overprotective moments, Danny loved having another girl around to talk about boys and makeup and things. And Harry was a great little brother. He practically idolized his new older sibling. So she was very happy with her new family.  
  
James was as busy as ever with work, which worried Lily to no end. She got very worked up imagining what could happen to him in a fight with the Death Eaters. Even Danny and Harry had to admit they weren't so crazy about seeing their dad practically march off to battle every morning. Danny was also still working on her wandless magic, which, incidentally, came in very handy one day when Harry took a tumble down the stairs. A very relieved Lily had found him floating in the air, courtesy of Danny casting Wingardium Leviosa, perhaps saving his life.  
  
Meanwhile, the war was getting worse by the day. It was now everyone's worst nightmare to come home to the Dark Mark floating above their house. Danny knew for a fact that Lily suffered from nightmares about James or the kids getting hurt or killed in the attacks. Now James also never talked about what went on at work when he was around the kids, instead whispering about his day to Lily while Danny and Harry were off playing.  
  
One bright bit of news was that Dumbledore did have a few spies for the light, though not nearly as many as Voldemort had in the Ministry. Among these spies, was of course, Severus Snape. On a night about a week after Danny's return home to Godric's Hallow Dumbledore once again found himself awake in the middle of the night, this time awaiting Severus's return from the latest Death Eater meeting.  
  
He was pacing in front of the fire when suddenly the door to the headmaster's office slammed open and Severus stumbled in. He looked a little worse for wear, his hair tangled and blood on his face, but otherwise he didn't seem to be seriously injured. He was limping a bit, though, so Dumbledore helped him over to a chair. He conjured up a glass of water and handed Severus a vial of Pepper Up Potion. Once the potion's master had pulled himself together a bit, the headmaster took a seat opposite him.  
  
"Rough night?" he asked.  
  
"Not really. Voldemort was really pleased," Severus sighed. "He knows, Albus."  
  
"Knows what?" Albus asked, thinking of a million different things the dark wizard could have found out, each worse than the next.  
  
"About the Potter girl. He found out about the prophecy and he has vowed to kill her before she can attempt to kill him."  
  
"I suppose it can be put off no longer, then," Dumbledore said. "The Potters will have to go into hiding tomorrow. It's no longer safe for them."  
  
"The Fidelus charm?" Severus asked.  
  
Albus nodded distractedly, staring into the fire. "I just hope Voldemort doesn't find them."  
  
Next Morning, Godric's Hollow  
"We're all ready to cast the charm," Dumbledore sighed. "We just have to tell Danielle."  
  
"I'll go upstairs and get her," James offered. "Who's going to break the news?"  
  
"I think it should be you or Lily. You are her parents now," Dumbledore said.  
  
"I can't," Lily said. "I'm sorry, but I just can't break the news to her."  
  
"I guess it's up to me, then," James whispered.  
  
He left the room and returned a moment later with his daughter. Danny looked very confused as James sat her down on the couch. He looked questioningly at Dumbledore, who nodded.  
  
"Um, Danny, you know how we talked last week about how we may have to go into hiding?" he glanced at her and she nodded. "Well, we're going to have to go into hiding today. And there's something else you should know. We told you we were going to have to hide because of my job as an Auror. And, well, -um, that's only part of it."  
  
James paused to take a breath, trying to figure out how to break the news.  
  
"It's also because of a prophecy. A prophecy that involves you. You see, when Professor Dumbledore was researching wandless magic for us he came across this prophecy about a girl who would have great powers. She would be born at the start of July, to parents of unpure blood. When she turned twelve, her special powers would begin to show themselves and a dark wizard would find out about them and she would join his ranks. Then she would betray him. And that girl is you."  
  
"So there's a prophecy that tells my life story. What's so bad about that?" Danny asked.  
  
"That's not all. The prophecy also says this girl – you – will defeat the dark wizard, which is Voldemort. Are you with me so far?"  
  
Danny nodded, looking both confused and apprehensive.  
  
"Last night one of Dumbledore's spies came back from a Death Eater meeting. Voldemort has learned of the prophecy. . .and. . .and. . ." James trailed off helplessly.  
  
He reached over and took his daughters hands, staring into her eyes.  
  
"And. . .he said he would kill you before you had a chance to defeat him."  
  
A ringing silence followed this statement. For a moment Danny just stared at James, looking shocked.  
  
"So that's why we're going into hiding? Because Voldemort wants to kill me?" she whispered.  
  
"Yes, Danielle," James said quietly.  
  
"But, the good news is the Fidelus charm will make him unable to find you, even if he happens to be standing on your front porch. As long as Sirius doesn't tell anyone, no one can find you," Dumbledore pointed out.  
  
"So I have to kill him? I'm going to be a murderer?" Danny said quietly, looking at James.  
  
He was silent, unsure of what to say. Danny, knowing what his silence meant, began to sob. James reached out and pulled her into his arms, attempting to calm her down.  
  
"I'll go see if we're ready to cast the charm," Dumbledore whispered to Lily.  
  
And with that, he swept from the room, leaving James and Lily to comfort their daughter.  
  
"I'm going to be a murderer," Danny whispered. "I'm going to kill him. . ."  
  
Author's Notes: Okay, I'm updating six chapters here. Lot of work. I beg of you, review! Please? I just proofread like four chapters for y'all after I spent three hours at colorguard practice. Reviews would make it worthwhile! Oh, and thank you to Alys'Culdil'Baranlote for reviewing The Werewolf and The Werecat. That's next on my list of stories to update after I finish this one, which should be sometime this weekend.  
  
Love You Guys, Starr 


	12. Scenes From Life In Hiding

Life in hiding was difficult to say the least. While it was true the family was safe in the confines of their house, they were also suffering from boredom. They were enclosed in the same building day after day, left to worry about what the day would bring and find ways to amuse themselves.  
  
James missed work like crazy. He wanted to help wage the war, not hide out until its end. He settled for reading about the latest battles and events in the Daily Prophet. Lily was as worried as ever, especially about the prophecy. She spent most of her time reading and trying to forget about the possibility that she could be killed at any moment.  
  
Danny was withdrawn, not talking much to anyone but Harry, who didn't understand what was going on. The only thing that worried him was he couldn't play outside, and he had no idea why his sister was so sad. At James's suggestion Danny took up drawing, but she mostly found herself sketching gloomy scenes featuring storms or other disasters that reflected her own mood.  
  
Weeks passed in the Potter house. Soon it was Danny's thirteenth birthday. However, the happy occasion felt more like a funeral. There were no presents, of course, because Lily and James couldn't leave the house to purchase any. Lily did make a makeshift cake and rummaged up some half-burned candles. They had a small, silent celebration in the living room before everyone retired to bed. Danny spent her first night as a teenager crying silently into her pillow, while her parents tossed and turned in restless slumber.  
  
Harry's birthday also came and went. The rest of the family tried to be cheerful for him without much luck. He was very confused about the gloomy mood in the house. It was his birthday, shouldn't they be happy for him?  
  
As the summer began to fade, so did the feeling of hope in the house. The war was still going as strong as ever. The number of casualties was in the thousands, increasing by the day. Everyday Lily and James scanned the papers Dumbledore sent them, hoping that they wouldn't find the obituaries of their friends. One Wednesday in late August James was stricken to find the name of one of his school friends, Anthony Bones. He brushed it off, saying he would be fine and he had known this was coming for a long time anyway. Yet that night when Danny crept down to the kitchen for a glass of water, she caught a glimpse of her father crying in Lily's arms. She had quietly eased her way upstairs before either had noticed her presence, but the scene had shocked her. Never before had she seen James cry. She hadn't even thought it possible. James was always so happy and goofy. The war's toll on him was beginning to show.  
  
Danny was still training as hard as ever, wanting to prepare for what the future might hold. She was ready to do whatever she needed to protect her family. And they were most certifiably her family now. James and Lily were now "Daddy" and "Mom" to her. After much talking it was decided she would call James "Daddy", since she had called her biological father "Dad".  
  
August faded and September began. Danny spent hours sitting at her bedroom window like she had everyday when she had been imprisoned. She would watch the leaves fall and the birds fly begin to fly south. She thought a lot about the future and what the prophecy meant for her.  
  
She was to kill someone. An evil someone, but still a person. Although she hated Voldemort, wanted him dead, wanted him to suffer, she didn't want to be the one to do it. The days when she had been imprisoned in this same room she had spent hours envisioning how Voldemort would be defeated, wondering how the wizarding world would celebrate. But she had always dreamed of someone else bringing about that celebration, not her.  
  
Danny also thought a lot about her biological father and the abrupt end of his life. She also had her suspicions that Voldemort had played a role in her father's death. The details she had been given of the crash were very sketchy at best, and he had been a very good pilot. It seemed very unlikely that his plane would crash without a trace.  
  
It was mid-October before any huge news came from the outside world. Voldemort had led an attack on the Ministry. Half the building was now in shambles, over 500 had died, including several very important public officials. That night Lily and James stayed up well past midnight talking in quiet voices near the fire.  
  
"We can't hide forever," Lily whispered. "This isn't a life, not really. None of us are happy. He's going to find us sooner or later."  
  
"Sirius would never tell!" James said fiercely.  
  
"Will you keep your voice down, you'll wake the children," Lily whispered anxiously, glancing toward the staircase.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Anyway, that's not what I meant. Of course he would never tell willingly. But what if you-know-who got ahold of him and tortured him? What then? People have been know to break under torture. Remember Agatha Dogston? Sold out her entire family, mother, father, everyone. I just don't know James. Something big is going to happen soon. I can feel it," she shivered.  
  
"Come off it, Lily. You worry too much. Something big just happened at the Ministry. Voldemort surely wouldn't lead such a big public attack so soon after that."  
  
"I wasn't talking about that kind of an attack. I was talking about something big happening to us. I have this uneasy feeling, like something's wrong."  
  
"Everything's wrong Lily! We're hiding out waiting for a war to end, or to be killed, whichever happens to come first. Of course you feel like something is wrong."  
  
"No James, it's different this time. It's almost like I can sense it. And you're wrong. The war won't end while we're in hiding. It can't. Remember the prophecy? Danny is the only one that can stop it. It's written in the stars. I don't know when or how, but our daughter is the only one that can save us."  
  
James lowered his gaze, staring into the crackling flames before them.  
  
"You're right, Lils. Our fate is in her hands. Our lives depend on a little girl who is barely a teenager," he said softly.  
  
"It's late. We shouldn't be talking about such things at night. Lets go to bed and talk about it tomorrow," Lily said.  
  
They slowly stood up and made their way upstairs to their bedroom. Neither of them noticed as their daughter watched from the shadows of her doorframe, where she had just fled to as they came up the stairs. She had heard the whole thing. Her mom wasn't the only one who had a strange feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. Danny, too, had this strange feeling, almost like a premonition that something was about occur. Something horrible.  
  
"Just listen to yourself," she thought. "Of course you're nervous. You're being hunted by a crazed killer. Anyone would feel funny."  
  
She glanced once more in the direction of her parent's closed bedroom door before returning to bed to spend another restless night tossing and turning. And still the feeling remained. . .  
  
Author's Note: Okay, next chapter is Halloween. Some things are going to happen like they happened in cannon, and obviously some things aren't. And that's all I'm saying about that. REVIEW!!!! REVIEW!!!! REVIEW!!!! Pretty please???? 


End file.
